Bupa Gt Manchester 10k run

If the thought of even running to the bus stop has you feeling tired, then perhaps you’re more suited to enjoying the spectacle from the sidelines with your camera poised, ready to capture the action.  And there will be plenty!

The atmosphere will be fantastic: full of excitement, colour, fancy dress costumes, good friendly spirit, and a wonderful throng of spectators to spur the runners on.

For everyone taking part, the sense of achievement when they cross the finish line will be immense.  Whether they be one of the elite runners; or a club runner trying for their personal best; or a charity runner – running to raise funds for very personal reasons; each person has put their all into the race at their own level and the pain and joy, along with the massive sense of achievement, will be shared by them all.

So take your camera and capture the moments.  And don’t forget to cheer them on - they’ll really appreciate your support!

http://www.greatrun.org/Events/Event.aspx?id=4&gclid=CN_io7D0mLcCFWfItAodYnEARw

Common Darter by Arlene Harris

This was one of the first macro shots I ever took using my new Nikon 60mm macro lens.  Prior to this I’d only had a compact camera.  It isn’t perfect and now I would soften the flash or bounce it off card to try and avoid the shine.  But I was delighted with it back then. Let’s face it … how often do we get to see that kind of detail with the naked eye.  Not often!

Take a look at the following link for hints on photographing dragon flies, and a host of other topics.

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?shva=1#inbox/13eae4867d4a274d

Manchester Day Parade 2012 taken by Stuart Willetts

If you are looking for an afternoon out with your family – and your camera! this annual event might fit the bill.  Full of colour, this parade offers great photo opportunities.   It takes place in Manchester on Sunday:  2nd June 2013.  2.00pm to 4.00pm.  Take a look at the event’s website on the following link for more information of this year’s theme. http://themanchesterdayparade.co.uk/about/this-years-theme/

Here is the link to his website for a look at his work:   http://www.alexhydephotography.com/ 

Photo taken from the ‘Focus on Imaging’ Gallery

See the following link for more details:  http://www.focus-on-imaging.co.uk/gallery.htm

Here are 2 photography events at the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester:

Understanding the basics of a Pinhole camera on 26 February; and on 5 March you can learn the basics of Cyanotype printing.  Tickets are £10 for each event – further details on the following link:

http://whitworthadultprogramme.wordpress.com/2013/02/20/upcoming-photography-events-at-z-arts-gallery/

Please let us know of any upcoming photography events you hear about -  or simply places of interest to photograph.  We’d love to hear about it and pass on the word.

HIGH CUP NICK – TAKEN BY JOHN EALING

Last Friday was an excellent evening as we welcomed members from Bacup Camera Club along with visitors from the village and one new member.  For members of Bacup, this was a return visit, as they extended their hospitality to our members last year.

Members were invited to submit up to 4 of their best images for critical appraisal by Mark and there was a mid-evening break.  Inevitably, with so many attendees on the night, time rushes by and the evening ran quite late.  Perhaps in future events like this, we should aim to limit the time spent on each image to a fixed length – or consider reducing the number of entries to 3 per person?

However, it was an excellent evening with a diverse selection of entries, including Street photography; Landscape; Steam trains; Portraits; and Macro - some in far-flung places and others on our doorstep.  The wonderful thing about an evening such as this is learning from each other and gaining new ideas to go and try for ourselves.

Our many thanks to everyone who attended,  to Mark for his appraisal (whether or not we agreed with him!) and our thanks to William for collecting and collating all the entries and projecting them onto the screen for us.  And of course thanks to everyone else who helped in any way from setting up to washing up!

See you on 22 February for our next meeting.

Do you have an old school photo? Can you remember who the people are?

His story is a familiar one; similar to that of many villages and places within Lancashire and yet each with its own uniqueness.   Strangely, I found myself looking for people I might recognise because the pictures looked so familiar.  In fact they were similar to some in my own family archives: such as my grandparents with their bowling club; my own stone-built village school with just 2 teachers; the cobbled back alleys of my childhood; my grandfather at the loom in the factory where he worked; and my mother at the age of 7 yrs old with a dance troupe.

Boyd’s talk makes you appreciate the importance of preserving the stories and the photographs of our past for future generations - wherever you might have been brought up and in whichever era.  For these are our roots; and the roots of our children, and their children.  It is because of past generations that we are who we are.  Perhaps obvious, but easily forgotten.

Boyd’s homework for the evening?  writing the names on the backs of all those photographs we have stored away.  If we don’t, future generations won’t have a clue who the people and places are and our own history will be relegated to the scrap heap.  How sad that would be.

If you are interested in the history and conservation of Irwell Vale, here is a (rather long) link to Rossendale Borough Council’s report on the village which was designated a conservation area on 4 December, 1974.

http://www.google.co.uk/urlsa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=6&cad=rja&sqi=2&ved=0CFQQFjAF&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rossendale.gov.uk2Fdownload%2Fdownloads%2Fid%2F1147%2Firwell_vale_conservation_area_appraisal&ei=9AMQUdZ5pJLRBcWbgLAJ&usg=AFQjCNFrBBHnjDiMGg4tj0xjPJOYHiqaUw&sig2=9MF3KH4QRdj_dy64yNGgrA&bvm=bv.41867550,d.d2k 

I set up my telescope late one night.  I am a complete novice!  Even though I can find the planets in the sky, it is more by good luck than skill that I manage to find them with the telescope.  But I did manage to find Jupiter.

Jupiter imaged by Damian Peach

Standing outside on my own at one o’clock in the morning all I could say was, “Wow!” (Actually, I think I said it several times.)  I wanted to knock on all the neighbours’ doors saying, “Come outside and look at this!”  Here was I, for the first time in my life, looking at Jupiter through a telescope.  It was only a small image but there it was: with its cream band; and its moons to the left and right.  I was seeing it with my own eyes for the first time in my life and such a sight leaves you in awe.  What a way to begin a new year.

Follow this link to the Jodrell Bank astronomy website for more details on what to look out for this month.   http://www.jodrellbank.manchester.ac.uk/astronomy/nightsky/  and if you missed ‘Stargazing Live’ on BBC 1 earlier this month you can find the first of the 3 programmes here:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01py6vh/Stargazing_LIVE_Series_3_Episode_1/

Happy stargazing!